Easy slow cooker stuffed cabbage recipe with rice is so yummy that even my kids love it! Roll them up, let them cook all day in your crockpot and it tastes amazing. No side dishes needed for this dinner idea. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any time of the year really. Here’s an easy way to make this classic dish.
This slow cooker stuffed cabbage recipe with rice and ground beef is now part of our favorite crockpot recipes. Perfect addition around St. Patricks Day but so good we make them year round for our family too! (affiliate links present)
Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage with Rice
We are a typical family, hence the name The Typical Mom. We cook the same dishes week after week. But sometimes it is time to add a new meal! I love easy crockpot meals and so naturally my mind goes there.
Most of our favorite dishes are “dump meals” but every once and a while it’s nice to take some time and make something different. This is one of those but it is so worth it when it is done. A family secret recipe that has been passed down for generations, but shared here with you today. 😉
Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….
- This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
- I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.
Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Rice Ingredients
- Cabbage leaves
- Ground beef – we like spicy ground sausage the best
- Onion
- Egg
- 1 cup cooked rice – make 1/2 cup grain add 1 cup water minimum to cook to fluffy
- Tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce or tomato soup could be substituted
- 1/4 cup Milk
- Ketchup
- Honey
- Spices
Everyone has their own method with these, especially if your family has made them for years. Maybe you have your own stuffing but need to understand how to cook it this way. By all means use your own creation and our timing. Ours requires white rice, precooked beforehand. Others leave that out, up to you.
We make stuffed green peppers pretty regularly. This recipe reminds me of that. It is inexpensive, pretty healthy, and once you take the time to make the cabbage rolls (less than an hr.), it cooks by itself. It’s one of those down home meals that you may have had as a child, and a great “present” dinner to get your children to try!
How to Make Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls
- First thing first you need to cook the ground beef or turkey. I have also used spicy ground sausage and I will admit, the later was our favorite. Your choice though, either works.
- Include some diced onions, garlic, any other spices you enjoy. We have used either diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, or pressure cooker spaghetti sauce. This will later be poured over your slow cooker cabbage rolls.
- At this time make some rice. I use my pressure cookers for this step so it goes quickly. You can follow our Ninja Foodi rice instructions for that.
- Once your meat/onion mixture is cooked put it in a large bowl combined with your cooked rice. Mix together your other ingredients so it will be like an assembly line once you have everything.
What is the best way to soften cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls?
You just need a large pot half full of water with a bit of salt if you like. You’ll want to boil your largest leaves from each head of cabbage in a boiling pot of water. There are really only 4-5 per head so I would buy 2 if you’re making enough for a family of 4 or more. It’s a bit like when you blanch bell peppers, you just want to soften them. When I take the leaves out of the water I put them on a plate with a paper towel to absorb some of the water.
- Fill the softened leaf with about this much meat mixture in center. Then roll like a burrito with the sides folded in first.
- Fold the leaf and roll it all the way up securing the side with the seam side up with 2 toothpicks so it doesn’t unravel.
I use a larg portable crock pot for this meal. Let them cook and have a fabulous meal. Even my kids love this slow cooker stuffed cabbage recipe!! Garlic salt/powder is a must, I use Worcestershire sauce too. I suggest that you use regular toothpicks and not colored. I did that once and it seeped out and turned my leaves pink!
pressure cooker directions
Since then we’ve made this into Instant Pot stuffed cabbage too and it’s a winner. The only difference between the 2 stuffed cabbage rolls is the cook time really.
How to make cabbage rolls pictures
The steps are rather simple and explained below. You can print out them at the bottom as well if you have a recipe book you add your favorite meals to.
How to Cook Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in Slow Cooker
- Cook the ground beef, turkey, or sausage with your onion and garlic.
- Combine that with your cooked rice, egg, and milk in one bowl.
- Add ingredients for the sauce together and add 1/4 of it into your meat mixture.
- Boil cabbage leaves for 2 minutes.
- Roll meat mixture into cabbage pieces like a burrito folding sides in and securing with 2 toothpicks each.
- Put some of your tomato sauce on bottom of crockpot.
- Lay cabbage rolls down trying not to overlap them, and pour remaining sauce on top.
- Cook in your crockpot on high for 4-5 hrs. or low for 8-9 hrs.
The best type for making stuffed cabbage in a Crockpot is green cabbage. Green is the most commonly used variety for stuffing due to its mild flavor, sturdy leaves, and ability to hold up well during slow cooking. Red is stiffer with a more intense flavor.
Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
- 1 pot to blanch cabbage
- 1 pan to brown beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, ground turkey or we prefer spicy ground sausage
- 5 large cabbage, whole large leaves, or more depending on how many you want to make
- 1 egg
- 1/4 c milk
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 c rice, cooked separately
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 can tomato sauce, 15 oz, or more if you like a wetter filling, can use spaghetti sauce instead
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 1/2 tsp worchestshire sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef, turkey, or sausage with your onion and garlic.
- Combine that with your cooked rice, egg, and milk in one bowl, set aside. Combine ingredients for the sauce together and add 1/4 of it into your meat mixture into it.
- Boil cabbage leaves for 2 minutes. Lay one at a time on a cutting board. Add a large scoopful of meat mixture into cabbage pieces like a burrito folding sides in and securing with 2 toothpicks each on top.
- Put some of your tomato sauce on bottom of crockpot. Lay cabbage rolls down trying not to overlap them, and pour remaining sauce on top.
- Cook in your crockpot on high for 4-5 hrs. or low for 8-9 hrs. Low is best.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such a great idea to use the slow cooker!
Absolutely delicious Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls! Kid-approved and super easy – just roll, set, and forget in the crockpot. The taste is out of this world! No need for sides, it’s a complete meal on its own. Perfect for any occasion, especially St. Patrick’s Day. A classic made effortlessly!
So good, the whole family loved it! I love that it can cook in the crockpot all day! It turned out perfectly.
oh yay
These stuffed cabbage rolls were marvelous. I love that they cook in the slow cooker so I can dump and go.
We loved these cabbage rolls, so flavorful. And every easy to make!
Sounds like the rice and meat would get pretty mushy if it is cooked prior to wrapping in the cabbage then another 4 to 9 hours in a slow cooker!! I would make the stuffing mixture with uncooked meat and uncooked Minute Rice.
There wouldn’t be enough liquid to get the rice cooked this way, we have been making it this way for tens of years and love it.
Never heard of cooking the meat before wrapping it in the cabbage leaves.
We just love Stuffed Cabbage and your recipe looks delicious. Hope you had a great Valentine Weekend and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Thanks